Constitutional Malays, “Liberal” Malays and Conservative Malays

According to the Constitution, those who habitually speak the Malay language, practice Islam and adopt the Malay culture or way of life are Malays.

There are those who claim they are “liberal” Malays. Therefore there are now “Constitutional Malays, ‘Liberal’ Malays and Conservative Malays” in this country. Perhaps they may be identified based on the extent and depth of “Malay values” they hold.

But what are Malay values? Let’s discuss them here.

There appears to be the same categories among Chinese and Indians. With varying perception of Chinese and Indian values, too.

Understanding all these will hopefully help foster a spirit of give and take, goodwill and understanding, at least tolerance among one another. Yet, should we just live and let live when we should make a conscious effort to unite and be a happy, prosperous and vibrant nation?

We should be having Malaysian values. But what are they? Let’s also discuss them here. Do feel free to speak your minds, whether in a few words or more.

To kick off the discussion, given below are a few articles found in the public domain.

As far as the Malays are concerned, let’s see which category is the majority, which category has to be taken into account, which views to be considered in the efforts to achieve a developed status, lasting peace and uninterrupted progress in the country.

(Written by Datuk Jema Khan, a former Sabah Umno Youth leader, now a businessman, said to be pushing the Agenda Liberal Melayu).

The essence of Perkasa’s ideology, if one can even call it that, is to make the Malays feel like the master race in the country. As the master race, all that belongs to the country belongs to them. They, of course, have yet to get their just desserts.

Even if they had already got it before, they still want it now because they presumably were not able to make much of the benefits they once enjoyed. Their demands, though, are cloaked under the guise of the poverty and disabilities of the Malays in Malaysia.

The liberal Malays, on the other hand, are well exposed to other races and nationalities. We are confident of ourselves in relation to other people. We have long left behind the village mindset and are disdainful of being the village champion as we know there is a great big world out there, with many who are indeed smart and capable human beings. Yet we welcome an environment that is based on meritocracy.

We look at the Malays in Singapore and ask, how are they able to have a GDP per capita which is a few times higher than the Malays here? They didn’t have the New Economic Policy (NEP). What they did have was a good education, a clean government and meritocracy.

The Perkasa mindset plays on the Malays’ fears that without rent seeking, corruption, subsidies and abuse of power, the Malays are doomed. Yes, the Malays are generally poor but the so-called affirmative action as proposed by Perkasa will not make the majority of them better off.

It will only enrich the few Malays at the top who can take advantage of it. At the same time the mindset of most of the Malays will still be focussed on their poverty, ignorance and an inability to compete in today’s economic environment.

If Perkasa succeeds then the age old adage of “who you know is more important that what you know” will perpetuate. The poor Malays can then hang on and around the Perkasa leadership in hopes of getting their improbable payoffs somewhere in the future.

The liberal Malays know that the Perkasa way will be both unfair and unsustainable not only to other Malaysians but to the Malays themselves. We want to make the Malays better off, too.

The difference is that we want to make the vast majority of them better off, not just a select few. Foremost to this is for the Malays to live in a free society where individual human rights are respected above all else. The Malays should not have to make a trade off between their individual human rights just to support an affirmative action policy that has long passed its sell-by date.

Malay women who represent half of the Malay population should also not be subject to the gender bias so prevalent in our society today. Single Malay mothers should not have to bear the burden for their children while the men who impregnated them are scot free.

The illegitimate Malay children should be helped and not stigmatised. Focussing on punishing and subjugating the Malays will not improve their lot, especially when blame is not properly assigned. Lowering the bar in education just to get more Malays to pass will not make them more employable.

The liberal Malays know that solving the above Malay problems will enrich the Malay race far more than any affirmative action as proposed by Perkasa. Hypocrisy has to be thrown out the window. We must look at the world as it is today and solve today’s problems.

Meritocracy will save the Malays from the power structures that only wish to perpetuate their own rule. The young Malays should not be fettered with the ideologies of the past. The institutions that actually helped the Malays in the past have grown too big and have now become a power unto themselves. They no longer serve the interest of the vast majority of the Malays.

Yes, the Malays will have to study and work harder. Success in the political, religious or government sectors cannot continue to be the key to the wealth of the Malays. Focus must be put on increasing the commercial value of the Malays in the private sector. Liberalisation in the educational, commercial and social aspects of society will free the Malay minds to pursue their own destiny.

The politics of Perkasa has no place if we are to have a new dawn of honesty, openness, intellectual vibrancy and meritocracy. This will be the true empowerment of the Malays as envisaged by the liberal agenda.

MAY 30 — You have to hand it to Datuk Seri Najib Razak. He was spot-on in his first day of being prime minister when he said, “The days of government knows best is over.”

Datuk Ibrahim Ali told Najib that much last night when he said the Malays, or rather his followers, had rejected the New Economic Model (NEM).

They want to stick to the New Economic Policy (NEP), drawn up by Najib’s father Tun Abdul Razak Hussein in the aftermath of the May 13 riots.

Ironically, Ibrahim’s Malay Consultative Council (MPM) had recently said the NEP had failed the Malays. The contradiction however, escaped the Pasir Mas MP who wanted to press home the point that Malays want to continue to enjoy all the privileges dished out under the NEP.

But not all Malays enjoy the privileges nor do non-Malays who make up some 40 per cent of the population.

For them, the government definitely does not know best if it waffles on key recommendations of appointed experts to institute steps and open the Malaysian economy.

After all, Malaysia’s sixth prime minister is betting on the NEM to provide a fillip to the slowly recovering economy for him to seek his own mandate in the next general elections.

Najib is right that shouts of “Hidup Melayu” will not bring food to the table for the community. But he has to stand firm and ensure measures that will benefit all Malaysians remain in place when he tables the NEM in the 10th Malaysia Plan this June 10.

Being the cautious consensus-builder, the prime minister should also get the views of other Malaysians on the future direction of the national economy. He has less than two weeks to do so if the NEM proposals are really “trial balloons” and not the real thing for the country’s future.

And he has to show leadership that his father did in rebuilding a country that had saddened “the world’s happiest prime minister” Tunku Abdul Rahman. Leadership to move the country to a new age, one not mired in the hang-ups of the past but of necessity.

For Tun Razak, it was to balance the country’s economic inequalities and eradicate poverty during his time in office. For his eldest son, it is to repair the damage of that policy which only focused on Bumiputeras but was abused by rent-seekers who now use the lacklustre achievement of just 19.3 per cent stake in the national economy to justify keeping the NEP.

While the government doesn’t know best, the least Najib can do is take the best of the NEM and implement it notwithstanding the carping from the likes of Ibrahim.

Najib has to make it happen and not allow it to flounder like proposals for the GST, petrol price hike or stopping the sale of 14-stick cigarette packs. After all, the only thing new about the NEM would be if it is implemented at all.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — Perkasa is putting pressure on the Najib administration to include affirmative action in the New Economic Model (NEM), in the form of a “blue ocean strategy” for Malays, to even out the economic disparity between them and other races.

The Malay rights group’s economic bureau chief, Dr Zubir Harun noted the Malays would still require help from the government under the NEM to ensure their success. Perkasa intends to send a list of proposed amendments and considerations for the NEM to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the end of this month.

“The problem is Malays are entering existing markets with little or no support from the government. Existing markets which are dominated by the Chinese are part of a red ocean strategy,” told Zubir.

Perkasa was founded by independent Pasir Mas, MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali, to ensure that Malay rights are not sidelined in an NEM which promotes meritocracy and free markets. The NGO claims to have attracted thousands of members, though largely from Umno.
Zubir said it would be difficult and “unwise” for Malays to try and tap into a “domineering” market because they would not be able to command control, and that it would also disturb the balance of the country’s market system.

He did not provide an elaboration on how exactly would the country’s system be “disturbed.”

“If we compete using a red ocean strategy, Malays would not be able to defeat [the] dominance of other races. The system we have right now, where the Chinese control businesses, if we try and change this it might drastically disturb the economical system of Malaysia,” claimed Zubir.
He said Perkasa wanted the NEM to focus on “new markets”, untapped by Chinese so that Malays could claim and assert dominance in these new fields.

“We should venture into a business where there is no existing red ocean, a new market where Malays can assert their own dominance, and be masters of that particular field,” Zubir said.

Fields under the “blue ocean strategy” that Perkasa is looking into include the aerospace industry, ICT (information and communications technology) as well as medical-related industries.

“We (Malays) would, of course, require assistance from the government,” he said, alluding to the list of demands being sent to Najib.
When asked of the consequences should the government not consider Perkasa’s list of suggestions, Zubir said that there would be “political implications.”

“There will be political implications. We (Perkasa) reflect 70 per cent of the Malay population. We will go on a roadshow if the government does not assist us.

“They (Barisan Nasional) should not forget that the general elections are coming soon, and if they do not offer assistance to the Malays, they will not get [our] votes,” said Zubir.

He claimed Perkasa’s numbers were “growing everyday” and that its membership will reach a million by the end of the year.

“Have you read the Merdeka Center survey? About 70 per cent of Malays support us. We represent them, their concerns. We are the voice of the Malays that live in rural areas, and who are not so lucky,” Zubir said emphatically.

The definition of malay in constitution is just the legal aspect of it…non dna and nonspiritual. Social capital I guess is the common law the unwritten law… the law that receives its binding force from immemorial usage and universal reception.

Let me get philosophical,

We homosapien will process our self to become human being ie to
discard the animal instinct in all of us.. the bad behavior of animals
in all of us. You know the garang macam harimau, menyalak macam
anjing, berebut2 macam ayam etc….

Once we become human, we gather together to have a common identity and entity that is called race. We choose to call our group of people as Malay/Melayu. No DNA required and no color scheme needed. You can be a jawa, bugis, Indian, Chinese, belanda etc…we have dark , brown and fair Malays…we are the real melting pot. We are the real 1 malaysia. Imagine hundreds or thousands years ago…our ancestors came to this land from different places and decided ‘hey we should all be known as Malays’’ and everyone agreed.

Now can anyone of you guess what constitute a Malay race? Apart from
the definition in constitution. It’s the unwritten law of behavior as
Malays, the law that receives its binding force from immemorial usage
and universal reception.

Let me start by a few example, and you guys can add anything that comes to mind…

Do we still have all of those traits? the binding element, the glue.
While we’re busy to become the true muslim, the real muslim the
Taliban muslim etc… We forgot to be a true malay. We are a lost soul
on earth…

The Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc hold on tight to their traits…that’s
why they always succeed no matter what political inclination or
religious belief they have.

Thank you for the legal perspective on what constitutes a Constitutional Malay. And for your opinion on what a true Malay should be. Perhaps those Malays who call themselves “liberal”, seemingly having forgotten and without caring for their roots, the plight of their own kind in relation to the kind that owns vast wealth and control the economy of the country, want their own kind to compete openly on an uneven playing field, and oppose their own kind wanting to protect and promote their interests – perhaps these are “the lost souls”.

Nations everywhere in the world are made up of groups or communities that protect and promote the interests of their community – while accepting that the national interest is supreme – and both Malays and “the others” in this country also do that. Failing to see that and blaming Perkasa and “conservative” Malays doing what the others are doing reflects squinted eyes and even skewed thinking.

A little clarification on “our ancestors came to this land from different places”, if we may. The Malays have existed in this Gugusan Pulau-Pulau Melayu” or the Malay Archipelago for some 6,000 years, according to those who have carried out research and scientific studies, including linguists, anthropologists and archeologists. These are explained in the book, “The Malay Civilisation”, by Mohd Arof Ishak, published by The Historical Society of Malaysia, 2007.

Those studies show that the Rumpun Melayu encompasses Melayu, Jawa, Bugis, Minangkabau, Achinese, Suluk, Melanau, Banjarese and a myriad of other “suku-bangsa” in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, and all the early inhabitants of this country, including those who are non-Muslims. The Malays, known as a seafaring people with excellent boat-making, navigation and sailing skills, have been going in and out of the Malay Peninsula, the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Philippines and beyond for a very long time. Kingdoms like Langkasuka have existed some two thousand years ago. In Malaysia now, those who profess the Muslim religion, habitually speak Bahasa Malaysia and practise the way of life of the Constitutional Malay are called Malays. However, the lost souls represent only a very tiny portion of the 17 million Malays – a negligible number among the well (usually foreign) educated Malays.

For the lost souls and the so-called liberal Malays who may not be proud of and respect their own language and race, and who may not feel much about the predicament of a people who have been here 5,000 – 6,000 years ago yet left far behind the Chinese economically and educationally (largely due to British colonial policies), I respectfully request that you reprint what I wrote earlier, as follows:

The Large Family of the Malay Language –

The Malay language is very ancient and comprises of a huge family of languages. Whereas the Malays (Rumpun Melayu of 350 million people) constitute only 6% of the total population of the world (6 billion people), the large family of Malay languages (totalling 1,268) represent 22% of the number of languages in the world (totalling 6,000) – from the book, “The Malay Civilization”, by Mohd Arof Ishak, published by The Historical Society of Malaysia, 2007 .

These are actual languages in the scientific and linguistic sense. If dialects are included, the number is larger still.

Scientists who have studied the family of Malay languages include the following:

1. 1772-75 Dr Reinhold Forster who accompanied Captain Cook in his 2nd voyage to the South Pacific. He compiled a list of words from 11 languages in several islands there and compared them with words of the same meaning in the Malay language and with 3 languages in South America. He found them having similarities with the Malay language but none at all with the South American languages.

2. 1776-80 Anderson, another scientist travelling with Captain Cook studied the numericals used in various islands of Polynesia and in Madagascar and compared them with those used in the Malay language. He found very clear similarities among them.

3. About 1800, a Spanish Jesuit priest, Abbe Lorenzo Herves, confirmed that the Malay language, the language used in Madagascar, and the languages of the Polynesian islands belong to the same family.This priest was recorded as the person who had made “the most remarkable discovery in the history of linguistic studies, being the identification of one family of spoken languages, namely the Malay and the Polynesian languages, which were spread very far and wide from the Island of Madagascar across a 208 degree angle to Easter Island” – L. Andrews, “A Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language”, 1977, pg 7.

4. Some years after that, a European scholar, William Marsden, also identified the oneness of the languages referred to by Herves and called them “The Great Polynesian” (Language).

5. In 1836, a leading Linguist, William Von Humboldt, carried out a large and comprehensive study, comparing 9 languages in the family of the Malay language – Malay, Malagasy (Madagascar), Javanese, Buginese, Tagalog (Philippines), Maori, Tonga, Tahitian and Hawaiian. He concluded that these languages belong to the same civilization – the Malay civilization.

Given below are the number of Malay languages found in selected areas:

In the 20th Century, various studies have been carried out on the migration and movement of the Malay people who have crossed the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Linguistic and archaeological studies especially since the 1950s have contributed a lot towards finding the age of the Malay race.

G.W Grace, a linguist of the 1960s, placed the origin of the Malay language at between 3,000 BC – 2,500 BC i.e 4,500 – 5,000 years ago – William Howells, “The Pacific Islanders”, 1973, pg 104. Isidore Dyen, a linguist of the 1950s, explained that Malayo-Polynesia is a major branch in the Austronesia (Malay) language and is of the opinion that the Malayo-Polynesian language alone is older than the Indo-European language which scholars have said appeared around 2,500 BC. Dyen believes that the Malayo-Polynesian people had started moving around and spread even well before 2,500 BC – William Howells, pg 104.

R. Ferrel a linguist expert on the natives of Taiwan, wrote in the 1960s that the Atayalic language in Taiwan grew out of proto Malay language (the original Malay language) since 4,000 BC-3,000 BC i.e 5,000-6,000 years ago. Ferrel is also of the opinion that the Tsouic language in Taiwan had grown out of proto Malay language at about the same period. The original Malay language is therefore much older.

There have been studies done attempting to show that Taiwan/ south China is the origin of the Malay race. Peter Bellwood is a well known supporter of that and believes that the spread of the original Malay language occurred between 5,000 and 7,000 years ago and that this took place in the centre of the Malay world, i.e an area that could not be identified but in the range of islands between Taiwan, Philippines and East Indonesia – Peter Bellwood, “Man’s Conquest of the Pacific, 1979.

Linguist William Howells himself had placed the first movement of the Malay people outward at 4,000 BC. So, it is clear that various scholars and linguistic experts have put forward the view that the Malay race is an ancient one and is about 7,000 years old, or even older.

This means that the Malay race is one of the oldest in the world.

Archaeologists have put out archaeological evidence showing that in the Polynesian islands, the Tonga islands were the first settlement of Malays – they arrived from Fiji Island. Samoa became the second island settled by the Malays there. These were estimated at around 1,000 BC.

The Malays reached the Easter Island around 500 AD despite it being the only island in the vast ocean so far away. Carbon dating of artifacts had shown that the Malays from Marquesas Islands reached and settled in Hawai around 750 AD – Joseph Feher, “Hawai, A Pictorial History”, 1969, pg 27. By 1,000 AD, the bigger islands of the Hawai chain had all been settled.

They arrived in boats built by inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands; the boats were as long as 18-24 meters and each could carry 30-40 people.

From Tahiti, the Malays moved to Cook Islands and eventually touched the islands of New Zealand around 1,000 AD.

The fact that the Malays had discovered and settled all the islands of the Pacific Ocean, which is so vast, is testimony to the excellence in sailing and navigation skills of the Malays. This is a feat not comparable to any others up to this day. All researchers and scholars agree that all the islands of the Pacific Ocean, however small or isolated, bear marks of having been visited and settled by the Malays in a period of time stretching 3,700 years or a little longer.

The Malay Archipelago was the birth place of Malay civilisation. American Professor Wihelm G. Solheim had produced a number of books and notes on the prehistory of Southeast Asia – Mohd Arof, “The Malay Civilization”, 2007, pg 22, 96. Professor Solheim said that the Malays had been living a culture of seafarers and traders, possessing sailing and navigational skills that enabled them to traverse the entire seas of the Malay Archipelago since 5,000 BC or 7,000 years ago.

According to Professor Solheim, the specific place in the Malay Archipelago with the highest possibility of being the origin of the Malay people is the area where today is found the Bugis, Bajau and other Malay ethnic groups that have been very active seafarers and traders for ages in history. They have made the Sulu Seas, fringed with the large islands of Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi and Mindanao, as the busiest seafaring area. They spread to the Pacific Ocean, starting from eastern Indonesia, before 5,000 BC. They moved north as traders through Philippines, Taiwan and southern China, reaching Korea and Japan.

Professor Solheim also believed that the Cham Malays who still occupy parts of Vietnam and Cambodia to this day had moved there from the Malay Archipelago after about 2,000 BC. Solheim also stated that the Malay language evolved in the Malay Archipelago at the end of the Ice Age when the Malay Archipelago took shape about 8,000 years ago. The latest research on this subject done by Stephen Oppenheimer, “Eden in the East”, 2001, strongly supported the views put forward by Solheim.

Ancient Chinese records written as early as 3rd Century AD mentioned “Kun Lun” people (ancient Chinese terminology for those coming by sea from the direction of Southeast Asia) conducting trade between east and west. Those records mentioned the boats used by the Malay traders. They were large, about 170 feet (51 meters) long. These were corroborated by other records. In the Polynesian islands of the south Pacific, the well known English voyager, Captain Cook, himself saw and recorded boats of about 108 feet (32 meters) which could carry 300 people.

The write up you provided does give a good insight into the background of the Malays and the justification for their claim to being the original inhabitants of this country. Indeed, the book also says that the terminology Proto Malays, Deutro Malays, Malayo-Polynesian and Austronesian refer to one and the same family of Malays. Constitutional Malays only refer to those in Malaysia exhibiting the three major characteristics pertaining to language, religion and culture.

The “liberal Malays” are wont to forget their roots or disregard them as important. We must develop as a single Malaysian entity, proud of being Malaysian and possess Malaysian values, but we need to continue that attachment to our roots especially in the light of efforts to bridge the economic and educational gap between the Malays and the Chinese. We need to remove the underlying cause of the racial flare up in 1969. Once we are on about the same footing then the grudging, envy and jealousies will by themselves gradually disappear and we can become a happy and united Malaysia.

But what are Malaysian values? As Kenn has said earlier, one of them must be language, the ability to communicate efficiently in the Malaysian National Language – Bahasa Malaysia. In fact, Malaysian values must be based on the Constitution – respect for and living by it fully, as it is the highest set of laws in the country. The rest includes those in the Rukun Negara. There must be mutual respect, recognition of each community’s contribution to the country in all its history, not just from Merdeka or the date of getting citizenship or the date one is born or has made a pile of money (including the “liberal” Malays). It’s not just paying tax (Chinese 30%, GLCs 40%, Malays, others and foreigners 30%) but also a sense of accomodation of each other’s needs and concerns.

Liberalism has to take into account of the practical realities and needs of the country and the various communities that make up the country. We can continue to discuss what those practical realities and needs are in order to gain a better understanding and foster co-operation and goodwill among us Malaysians.

Aiyoyo this Jema Khan fellow. Calling himself a liberal Malay. Anti Perkasa, antiMalay privileges under the Malay Special Position, speaking meritocracy and all. No wonder he a “former” UMNO leader.

Is he Malay? Constitutional Malay only ha.

“We are confident of ourselves in relation to other people”, he says. like “confident woman” Marina Mahathir, ha. But why he not confident in relation with the conservative Malays? Why want to tibai the full-blooded and “kampong mentality” Malays?

You no like NEP enriching only selected Malays, say so la. Don’t hantam the policy, just hantam the implementation. You come out of kampong but not see the bush for the trees ha? Or you lost UMNO post and got angry with everybody ha?

There is no problem at all in liberal or whatever Malays hitting at the unfair distribution of the New Economic Policy (NEP) benefits to selected Malays. But not many of the so-called liberal Malays appear to be doing it. Perhaps because they are themselves major beneficiaries of NEP benefits. How many contracts, projects, defence purchases commissions go to Malays who, after being rich, may not really bother about Malay issues, too busy with their own programmes, including retaining whatever positions of power or influence they might have.

And a person like this writer goes overboard. Instead of focusing on the weaknesses of the implementation of NEP, he attacked the very NEP itself. He hits at Perkasa, referring to Ketuanan Melayu, etc, when that organisation is trying to speak up for the rights and privileges of the Malays in line with the Special Position of the Malays under the Constitution. All too often such “liberal” Malays conveniently forget that the Special Position was in exchange for citizenship for the non-Malays and, being generally backward economically and educationally, the Malays have every right to the NEP benefits.

DS Najib appears bent on trying to get the votes of the non-Malays, realizing that the 2008 General Elections were a debacle, and the Barisan Nasional of which he was the No. 2 at that time, unexpectedly lost its two third majority in Parliament. In the process he appeared to want to be liberal, too, by liberalizing certain sectors of the economy, allowing vernacular schools to continue, and such actions.

But when he offered millions of ringgit in cash to the Chinese for their schools at PRK Kuala Trengganu, Hulu Selangor and Sibu, it hit a hard cord on his liberalism. The announcement that Chinese schools can continue was already an act contrary to Article 152 on the role of Bahasa Malaysia as the National Language. Offering cash during elections smacked of bribery and corruption. That hardly entitles him to being labeled as a liberal.

Why is there no publicity for SSS in print n tv media.As an avid fan I hope a concerted effort can be made to increase public awareness of SSS.Why cant SSS have a roadshow since thats the ‘in-thing’ at the moment..I realise that many do not want to be the front cover page boy bandying around this SSS which Najib 1Malaysia seems to dislike.

I pray a few brave souls with kulit tebal n nothing to lose sacrifice themselves if this SSS backfire.hahahahahahahahahahahaha.Maybe we can find some young naive upcoming leader who needs some airtime to be that kambing.Juz kiddin la.Come on.Why not register SSS as a legit movement.Malaysian loves to put the haram tag on anything they dislike.

If funding is the problem for SSS maybe we can pool some money via online contributions n some old school kutip derma mcm zaman kanak2 SRK siap dapat kad rekod derma.Haks2.Maybe some pakcik kayo will sympathise n support SSS.Insyaallah with higher publicity more will join the cause n the establishment will have to take notice n do some freaking thing about it.

Perkasa is 2 bog down with NEM n cannot h/light SSS enuf.We r 2 years from next GE.I hope this SSS will be put in the election manifesto.But to do that will take a lot of resources.I have a feeling many young Malaysians will agree to SSS if they are well informed n will join this cause.Dong Dong Dong & frens r scaremongers n SSS needs to rebut all their accusations of Malaynisation at all fronts.We need to make all Malaysians understand from unity comes strength n it needs to start at school.Melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya.

We greatly value your support for the single-stream schooling or SSS cause and appreciate your suggestions on funding, etc. We have not gone offline yet in our activities as it is assessed that the timing is not yet right to do so.

Despite the initial fairly hopeful response to our campaign at the commencement of DS Najib’s administration and his response to single-stream schooling being raised and discussed in Parliament by saying that SSS “will be implemented when the rakyat want it”, he did not respond to the suggestion that a referendum was the best and safest method of determining whether “the rakyat want it now” or not.

Our suspicions that Najib had decided to keep the status quo as far as vernacular schools are concerned were confirmed by his visits to Chinese schools, attending dinner at a Chinese school, announcing that Chinese schools can continue and finally giving financial grants to Chinese schools at PRK Hulu Selangor and Sibu. He appears decided on trying to get run-away Chinese votes not just at by-elections but also at the coming general elections. Under the circumstances, the prospect of him changing his mind does not appear good for the time being. Whatever plans we have for offline activities (concerted TV, Radio, newspaper promotions and advertisements, car stickers and roadshows, talks at schools civic societies and public gatherings, enlisting participation of NGOs and the like) have to be put on hold. Such activities do cost time, manpower and money and should wait for a more appropriate time to ensure reasonable returns on whatever investment put in.

However, we are monitoring the situation closely to see if there is any change in his attitude and direction that can be exploited to SSS advantage. Swaying public opinion in order to change his mind needs to be looked at on the basis of the practical realities of the situation. Najib must have seen the futility of trying to get increased votes from the Chinese as evident at PRK Hulu Selangor and Sibu. Criticisms against his thinking, plans and actions have been increasing, including on the New Economic Model. As and when it becomes prudent and timely to start offline activities, we will activate plans to do so and announce it in this portal. Meanwhile, do stay tuned, and we look forward to your continued participation in the discussions here together with the others.

I know the ruling Governments power n stability is not firm ahead of GE13.I hope the leaders of BN do not live in denial and expect a swing vote from anti establishment who will oppose everything just for the sake of opposing.

I feel SSS should not be afraid of failure as lessons learned from it far outweigh the cost.Not all campaign meet success but with time anything is possible.

I trust the SSS founders will make the next step at the moment deemed appropriate and everything have been calculated.I pray that the current attitude shown by our leaders towards SSS is just temporary due to circumstances.

You are not liberal if you don’t accept and go by the constitution fully. Article 153 says the Malays have a Special Position. It’s written there for a purpose. Meritocracy etc has to take into account of that.

You are not liberal if you oppose the bridging of the huge gap between the malays and the Chinese – economically and educationally. Malays had less than 2% (repeat: two percent) wealth when the racial riots occurred in 1969. Now 18% (target 30%) and in corporate wealth only, with affirmative action under NEP.

You are not liberal if you support or allow schools in Mandarin and Tamil. How can you, when Article 152 says BM is the National Language.

Ipso facto, as the lawyers say (I’m not a lawyer), you are not liberal if you give millions of Ringgits cash to Chinese schools. You may even be corrupt doing so at elections time. greed for votes has a limit.

You are not liberal if you want equality like in US. Even the US has many laws protecting the disadvantaged. Obama has just got through his Health Care Plan which helps the Blacks, Hispanics and Asians, most of whom are poor.

You are not liberal if you want unlimited freedom and fairness. Even US has detention without trial – Guantanamo Bay still there.

You are not liberal if you want to speed up achieving developed status – at the expense of the well being of the majority Malays. Asking them to compete on an uneven playing field, liberalisation, not protecting and promoting NEP in NEM are actions at the expense of the Malays. Why the rush to developed status? Votes? Power for the next 20 years?

Those who claim or think of themselves as liberal have not spelt out the standard or yardstick they use in assigning unto themselves that tag. Most do not claim to liberalism except one or two like the writer of the article. It’s quite brash of him to say “We … liberal Malays …”. Even trying to promote “Malay liberalism”.

Liberalism certainly has to take into account practical realities and the needs of society in a given situation at a given time. There was no gun ownership control in America before but it now requires registration. Visas and entries into US were almost automatic before Nine Eleven but now the average Muslim shudders at the thought of going there because of the rigorous process of getting visas and getting airport clearance. The British, one of the most liberal people in the world, used to detain people for investigation purposes only for a few days but have since the bombings in London extended the remand period to much longer. Of course, the Americans still have ISA-like detention without trial at Guantanamo Bay. Are they not limits to freedom? Is liberalism not governed by practical needs of the time even in those advanced countries? Is the Malay Special Position under Article 153 not the needs of all time and and the NEP derived from it not at least the need of the time?

Those wanting equality, including the so-called liberal Malays, must recognize and always remember Article 153 on the Special Malay Position which had always been there in this country and encoded in the Constitution as an exchange for non-Malay citizenship. The NEP was designed to bridge the huge economic and educational gap between the Malays and the Chinese. True, one is not liberal if one does not subscribe to the idea that bridging that gap is necessary to remove the long term cause of the racial clashes of 1969 and pave the way for long-term unity, peace and progress in this country. You cannot be assured of long term peace and uninterrupted progress if those forming the majority of the population continuously live in envy and disgruntlement, grudging the economic and educational advancement of those forming 23% of the population.

I fully agreed on the language part. However the development of bahasa Malaysia has hit a snag with overzealous DBP people trying to come up with new terminology borrowed from English or other language…the problem is DBP don’t borrow but create new language out of thin air. Not every word must be translated..some are better borrowed than create. Just because we wanted BM to be used in science and technology, doesn’t mean we have to translate all terminology. It has become a real hindrance for people to use. For example, have anyone of you ever go to a mechanic and say “ tolong periksa omboh kereta saya”….we prefer to use the word piston . A mouse= tetikus…etc…
I still cannot grasp the malay legal term… We only need to use the conversation language in BM not the terminology. Thank god we still say KARAOKE and not the translation Orkestra Kosong……

Where there are the relevant Malay words that have existed from time immemorial, they must be used. For technical words, which came out much later in history i.e with the advancement in science and technology in the West, foreign words most widely used in the world, should be used. Coining our own words does take a lot of time and effort yet without any gurantee of them being used for a long time and become accepted into the language.

True, language evolves and has never been created in the sense of deliberately coining words and forced upon people to use. In modern times, it’s people in the mass media who tend to popularise new words and help make them live or die out. Imagine the number of new words churned out by Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka since its inception not long after Merdeka that are now dead. It will be interesting to do a study on it but very many must be dead by now. Even those used in school text books that children have to learn to pass exams but they follow the trend and use the foreign words like “piston”, “steering” and “brake” as far as cars are concerned. In writing, too, unless it is a formal presentation.

Malaysian values are national values. Language is what makes the people in that nation tick, communicate and go on with their daily lives till the end of the world as we know it. Language is an integral part of any culture since the dawn of history. The values of a people, a society, a nation must begin with language. In Malaysia, it must be Bahasa Malaysia, the National Language.

Language is not only a tool of communication. It is also a tool of unity, especially among peoples of diverse ethnicity. Bahasa Malaysia has to be that tool. Bahasa Melayu (now known as Bahasa Malaysia) has been the lingua franca of the Malay Archipelago for thousands of years. This is written in books as stated in the comment by Dot above.

Allowing other languages as the medium of instruction in vernacular schools, or even making other languages compulsory in national schools, defeats the purpose of language being a unifying factor for Malaysians of varying racial origins. If the Government decides to make Mandarin and Tamil compulsory in national schools, it appears reaching the limit of pandering to the wishes of the non-Malays for the sake of votes during elections. It would be extremely unfortunate if that happens. Mandarin and Tamil can be studied in national schools as elective subjects but not as compulsory subjects.

Of course the malaysian Insider writer will exploit everything Najib says to suit their agenda. He quickly chorused Najib by saying “Najib is right that shouts of “Hidup Melayu” will not bring food to the table for the community”.

But so-called liberal Najib forgot that the Malays shout “Hidup Melayu” in order to survive, to get him to spare some of the food and the riches of this country to the Malays, not to make the malays compete on an uneven playing field, etc. The Chinese control the economy and have the system of exclusive clan associations and business guilds that the Malays cannot penetrate to learn from as far as business is concerned. The Chinese do not need help, the Malays do.

For goodness sake, do remember that the Malays started being in business only from 1971. The Chinese have been doing it since time immemorial.

While it is not known whether the writer is Malay or non-Malay, the Malays in the Malaysian Insider crowd are among those who think of themselves as “liberal”. But are they liberal when they appear not to allow Malays like Perkasa to shout “Hidup Melayu”? When, as you said, the shouts are aimed at drawing the attention of the Prime Minister to remember to protect and promote their interests.

And there’s nothing wrong in wanting to protect and promote a group’s interests. So long as they are not extremist. What extremism can there be compared to those who are said to have an election manifesto of getting rid of Malay rights if they get into power in this country. Not only extremist but also seditious.

And now a group in the Bar Council proposes the repeal of the Sedition Act 1948. Forgetting that seditious words and acts had caused the racial riots of 1969. Not thinking that this is a multi-racial country that has among its population people who are racist, chauvinist and not respecting the Constitution especially the Special Position of the Malays under Article 153. That which, according to the British, has always been there “since day one” and recognized by them since they first made contacts with this country. That which was in exchange for citizenship for the non-Malays.

Yes agreed. I was referring to an even more basic part of the language. I think, the government has not put up serious efforts or rather not interested in “memperkasakan bahasa kebangsaan”. If the government does really embrace the Rukun Negara & Constitution (including Akta Bahasa) then there certainly would be programs around the country implemented to achieve “1Bahasa” a language for Malaysian, just like french for France, english for British, mandarin for Chinese etc.

Then through these “whole-hearted” programs, we may accept that the language for Math & Science is English, just like you teach Tamil using tamil language, not Bahasa.

And when Bahasa Kebangsaan (Bahasa Melayu) is widely used and spoken everyday, every minute, every second in this country amongst Malaysians, then gradually someday the word “tetikus” will sound more friendly than “mouse” when conversing in Bahasa. Maybe an example would be “pili bomba” for “fire hydrant”?

I am not a language expert, but those years we used to say “mata-mata”, “mata-mata gelap” but now it polis (from the word police) and detektif from the “detective”. What ever happened to “perisik”?

I thought “peruntukan” or “belanjawan” is good enough, but why there is “bajet” now?

We can go on in detailing all these, but I think, it is back to the “lukewarm” toward upholding the Bahasa Kebangsaan by all parties, especially by those who are in power to enforce the Rukun Negara & Perlembagaan and to those who has the power to create all those acts/akta.

Was it “lukewarm”, “dont care less attitude”, or was it the case of confusing identities we are having here?

I still say “MALAYSIA” was once “Malay Peninsular” and derived from the word “MALAY”. Whatever defines “MALAYSIAN” must have “MALAY” at it’s core, be it language, custom, the way of life etc.

There is nothing wrong in being kiasu or not wanting to be left out provided that it is not ultra kiasu or in the extreme. Being kiasu to the extent of encroaching upon the rights and interests of others is certainly not acceptable. Similarly being kiasu to the extent of grudging and criticising the rights of others.

Valuing progress, exploiting all opportunities made available to the citizens, acquiring property and accumulating wealth does not and should pose problems to others and others should not mind it as this is a free country. But recognizing the Social Contract is necessary. This is where the non-Malays get their citizenship and the Malays get their Special Position written into the Constitution as Article 153. Similarly, respecting and living by the Constitution, including Article 152 on Bahasa Malaysia as the National Language is also necessary for all Malaysians.

Let us all be guided by the Constitution in our daily lives. It is the highest set of laws in the country and all other laws stem from it. We need to foster good relations and live as happy, mutually respecting Malaysians.

To be honest i dont care whether there are liberal/moderate/conservative/fundamentalist/right-wing/left-wing/up/down/left/right Malays in the country.

The most important thing is that ALL Malaysians should UNDERSTAND the need to implement a single stream school system no matter what your affliations are or face the consequence of having a MULTI NATIONAL STATE (whatever that means) propounded by the racist jackass known as Yap Sin Tian.

We can disagree on many topics, but I cant see how you can disagree with having a single stream school and I’m even willing to go so far as to say that we should abolish these sekolah agama too. Make BM and only BM the language of instruction, at the same time a strong emphasis on English.

We are gratified and encouraged by your stand on the subject of single-stream education. We need to keep plugging this Kempen SSS line the best we can and embark on a more pronounced and aggressive programme that includes offline activities as and when we find the atmosphere suitable politically and in other respects. We have explained in one reply earlier on what may constitute suitable time and prudence in expending our currently limited resources.

There must be only one medium of instruction in all schools and Mandarin and Tamil must not be made compulsory subjects in national schools. It is in contravention of the Constitution Article 152 and, in any case, Mandarin and Tamil can be studied as elective subjects. Language is a tool for unifying the various races and the position of Bahasa Malaysia as the National Language is clear.

People who talk about “a multi national state” either are not aware of the history of this country which has always been a nation state, or has somewhat subversive intent in wanting other than a single, united Malaysian entity called Malaysia. These are people who choose to seclude themselves and live in a world of their own, shunning mainstream society, and must not be encouraged to go on as they are. They should be brought into mainstream Malaysiana, respect and use Bahasa Malaysia proficiently for the sake of unity in the country.

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